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Wednesday, January 09, 2019 11:43 am

Verbatim: Lana Keesling to seek second term as Fort Wayne City Clerk in 2019

The following was released on Wed., Jan. 9, 2019 by Lana Keesling:

Fort Wayne City Clerk Lana Keesling began her first term on January 1, 2016 and is running for re-election in the 2019 municipal race.

“I have been honored to serve as Fort Wayne City Clerk for the last three years. I am mindful of the trust the citizens have placed in me and continue to work to keep that trust. As I strive to achieve the goals we set at the start of my term, I am excited with the progress and energized to continue the momentum.”

When Fort Wayne City Clerk Lana Keesling ran for office in 2015, she knew the City Clerk’s office demanded to be modernized in order to be efficient. Accountability, transparency, and integrity were paramount to restoring the trust of the office. With those guiding principles, Clerk Keesling has gone beyond a simple restructure to transform all of the operations of the office.

Today citizens can find:

City council agendas easily available prior to meetings and in accordance with state law

Clear procedures and guidelines that establish consistency for the City Clerk’s office,Violations Bureau, and Parking Enforcement in handling citizen concerns

Enhanced technology to enable staff to work efficiently

A conservative approach to expenditures that has led to a 21% decrease in spending

All of these led to the end of a department that ran at a deficit for years. Instead net income has increased yearly in 2016, 2017, and 2018, allowing Parking Control to not only be self-sufficient but allowing it to pay for the first new parking meters in over 30 years. We have provided citizens with meters that make downtown parking easier, and also we’ve paid back 100% of the CEDIT money used to buy the meters.

By filing today to run for a second term, Clerk Keesling intends to continue leading the Clerk’s office into the future. Some of the upcoming changes to watch for in the Clerk’s office include:

Introduction of a phone app to enable citizens to locate available metered parking and pay meter fees

Expansion of neighborhood parking enforcement to evenings and weekends

Fort Wayne City Clerk Lana Keesling is excited to share her victories to date and she is enthusiastic about the vision for the future of the office. She looks forward to your support to keep the progress and momentum going for the next four years.